The invention relates to a method for processing an actuation of an operating element in a motor vehicle as well as to a corresponding operating element and a corresponding motor vehicle.
When actuating an operating element in a motor vehicle, it is often desirable in the case of safety-critical operating functions to appropriately detect an unintended or misapplied actuation of the operating element such as may occur, for example, by a child in the front passenger seat, and to, in such a case, not trigger the action linked to the actuation of the operating element.
It is known from the state of the art to determine an operation of an operating element by a front-seat passenger by way of a high-expenditure front-seat passenger recognition. The front-seat passenger recognition is based on optical sensors with an image processing on the output side, which acquire an image of the area of the front-seat passenger position and recognize whether a front-seat passenger is situated in the front-seat passenger position and is carrying out an operation.
It is further known from the state of the art to avoid an unintended actuation of a gear selector lever in a motor vehicle in that an additional button is provided on a driver-side flank of the gear selector lever, which button has to be pressed when changing into specific drive positions. If this is not the case, no engaging of the gear or no gear change will take place. Such an additional button results in restrictions of comfort when actuating the gear selector lever. Furthermore, it can also not be excluded that a front-seat passenger will press the button and trigger a corresponding actuation of the gear selector lever.
It is therefore an object of the invention to easily and reliably determine within the scope of the actuation of an operating element in a motor vehicle whether an intended actuation of the operating element is taking place.
This and other objects are achieved by a method, and corresponding operating element, for processing an actuation of the operating element in a motor vehicle, particularly of an operating lever, wherein the operating element can be actuated at least by the driver of the motor vehicle. A plurality of sensors are arranged on the operating element, which sensors are at least partially activated when the operating element is actuated. The time sequence of the activation of the sensors is detected when the operating element is actuated, and, based on the time sequence, it is determined whether an undesired actuation is occurring, undesired actuations comprising unintended actuations and/or actuations by a front-seat passenger. In the event of an undesired actuation, the implementation of one or more actions coupled to the actuation of the operating element in the vehicle is blocked.
The method according to the invention is used for processing an actuation of an operating element in a motor vehicle, particularly in a passenger car and, if appropriate, also in a truck. The operating element, which may, for example, be constructed as an operating lever, can be actuated at least by the driver of the motor vehicle. A plurality of sensors is arranged on the operating element, which are at least partially activated when the operating element is actuated. An activation of a sensor will then be present when the sensor senses a corresponding signal whose strength, as a rule, has to exceed a predefined threshold. As required, the activation may also be coupled to the condition that the sensed signal has been present for at least a predefined time in order to not consider hereby detected signals which are not caused by an actuation of the operating element.
Within the scope of a method according to the invention, the time sequence of the activation of the sensors is detected, as required, when the operating element is actuated, and, based on the time sequence, it is determined whether there is an undesired actuation, undesired actuations comprising unintended actuations and/or actuations by a front-seat passenger. If an undesired actuation is occurring, the implementation of one or more actions coupled to the actuation of the operating element in the vehicle will be blocked. The term of the time sequence of the activation of the sensors also implies the number of sensors activated in the time sequence. As required, this number may be taken into account when it is determined whether an undesired actuation is occurring.
The method according to the invention is based on the recognition that, in the case of an appropriate positioning of sensors on the operating element, the activation pattern of the sensors resulting from the actuation of the operating element provides information as to whether an intended actuation or a not intended actuation is involved in the form of an unintended actuation or an actuation by a front-seat passenger. In a simple manner, a safety-critical actuation of an operating element can thereby be detected by sensors mounted on the operation element, without requiring a high-expenditure visual detection system for this purpose. Likewise, if appropriate, an additional button may not be necessary which, within the scope of the actuation of the operating element, has to be pressed by the user and limits the operating comfort. In this case, the actuation of the operating element preferably takes place by means of the user's hand which touches the operating element during the actuation.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sensors comprise one or more proximity sensor(s), and particularly one or more cost-effective capacitive sensors. Preferably, all sensors of the plurality of sensors are proximity sensors. By way of such sensors, a corresponding approaching or contact of the operating element can be detected in a simple manner, the sequence of the contact providing information as to whether the corresponding actuation is a desired actuation.
According to the method of the invention, the number of sensors provided on the operating element may vary. In a preferred embodiment, at least four sensors are arranged on the operating element, so that a reliable differentiation between desired and undesired actuations is achieved.
Various further developments are contemplated, according to which corresponding activation sequences of the sensors are coupled to undesired actuations of the operating element. In a simple embodiment of the invention, an actuation, in which the number of activated sensors is less than a minimum number, represents an undesired actuation, from which, as a rule, an unintended actuation can be inferred.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the method is used for an operating lever, which is arranged between a driver position and a front-seat passenger position, and, in particular, represents a gear selector lever to whose actuation the change of a gear or a driving mode is coupled. The term “gear selector lever” is understood to be broad and, in particular, also comprises the selector lever for automatic transmissions.
When the method according to the invention is used for the just described operating lever between the driver position and the front-seat passenger position, the plurality of sensors comprises the following sensors in a particularly preferred embodiment:                one or more first sensors on a driver-side flank of the operating lever;        one or more second sensors on a front-passenger-side flank of the operating lever;        one or more third sensors on a center flank of the operating lever, which extends between the driver-side flank and the front-passenger-side flank, the center flank preferably representing a backside of the operating lever hidden from the driver position.        
Such a sensor arrangement can very easily detect movements of the user's hand, when reaching around the operating lever or the gear selector lever, by way of the activation sequence of the sensors. In particular, a time sequence of the activation of the sensors, according to which, firstly, at least one second sensor, subsequently, at least one first sensor and, finally, at least one third sensor is activated, represents an undesired actuation which, as a rule, allows the conclusion that the operating lever is not touched by the driver but by the front-seat passenger within the scope of the reach-around movement.
In a further embodiment, a time sequence of the activation of the sensors, according to which no third sensor is activated or according to which only at least one first sensor or at least one second sensor or at least one third sensor is activated, represents an undesired actuation. As a rule, these actuations allow the conclusion that no intended reach-around movement of the operating lever is carried out, but rather a misapplied or unintended actuation of the operating lever is occurring.
When determining whether an undesired actuation is occurring, in a further embodiment of the invention, the detected time sequence of the activation of sensors is compared with a plurality of stored time sequences of the activation of sensors, the stored time sequences being classified in undesired and permitted actuations. Based on this comparison, the detected time sequence is then classified as an undesired actuation or a permitted actuation. In the case of a permitted actuation, the action or actions linked to the actuation will then be carried out and not blocked. By means of such a variant of the invention, a particularly fine classification of the actuations then becomes possible by using a large number of previously stored activation sequences, and thereby a particularly reliable recognition of undesired actuations will be achieved.
In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, an end of a time sequence of the activation of the sensors will be determined when the activation of a sensor activated within the scope of the actuation has ended. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the corresponding operating element has been released by the user and the actuation operation has therefore been concluded.
In addition to the above-described method, the invention further relates to an operating element for a motor vehicle, particularly an operating lever, in which case the operating element can be actuated at least by the driver of the motor vehicle, and a plurality of sensors are arranged on the operating element, which sensors are at least partially activated during the actuation of the operating element. The operating element includes a device for processing an actuation of the operating element, such as a programmed processor, which is further developed such that the time sequence of the activation of the sensors is detected during the actuation of the operating element, and, based on the time sequence, it is determined whether an undesired actuation is occurring, undesired actuations comprising unintended actuations and/or actuations by a front-seat passenger. In the case of such an undesired actuation, the implementation of one or more actions coupled to the actuation of the operating element in the motor vehicle is blocked.
The operating element is preferably further developed such that one or more of the preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention can be implemented by way of the operating element.
The invention further relates to a motor vehicle which includes the above-described operating element.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.